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How rogue officers in the Philippines contract themselves out to Chinese loan sharks for kidnappings
- The booming gambling industry in the Philippines has given rise to new opportunities for moonlighting officers
- Chinese loan sharks have found a talented pool of Filipinos who provide services such as snatching victims and guarding them until ransom is paid
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The upsurge of Chinese gamblers flying to Manila to gamble in casinos has given rise to a new employment opportunity for rogue officers – serving as muscle for Chinese loan shark syndicates.
On May 18 this year, casino player Li Chao went out for dinner and karaoke near an establishment along Manila Bay.
As he walked to his car after dinner, he found himself blocked by seven men in uniform. One waved a fake warrant of arrest at him and said they were agents of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Then began weeks of maltreatment for Li, as his family in China negotiated with his Chinese kidnappers in Manila.
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He was released on July 2 after his family paid 23 million yuan (US$3.2 million), down from the original ransom demand of 50 million yuan (US$7 million).
The thriving business of Chinese nationals abducting their own compatriots in the Philippines, despite only knowing a smattering of English or Tagalog, is made possible by a talented pool of locals who are ready and willing to provide them with support services, police records show.
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This involves everything from looking for safe houses to snatching the victims and then guarding them.
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